21st Century Avatar
by MemoryWriter
Summary: Tori's your normal lazy modern teen, but while staying over at her friend best friend's, his Grandpa tells her she's the long lost Avatar in a totally Avatar/bender forgotten world. "Shut up." "It's true! You're the-" "No I heard you don't say it again!"
1. Chapter 1

_In the present world, the generation of benders have long died out. The world has advanced. Its spirituality has faded. As a result, that less than 5% of the world's population is made up of benders. Yet even so, they're kept secret from the rest of the world._

_Benders are routinely hidden by the government. The abilities tend to skip along generations, so many children wind up benders while their parents aren't. As a result, these 'strange children' are taken away by the state and raised separately from the world to carve their abilities for government purposes._

_That has long been the way of benders. Non-benders are the majority. Bending doesn't exist. It has never existed. And no one will ever know of the wonders it had brought the world long ago._

_But the Avatar still lives. Earth. Fire. Water. Air. Only the Avatar can master all 4 elements._

_Knowing of this miraculous being, the government has made it their top priority to supervise this 'Avatar' from birth to death, so that their power may never see the light of day, and may never be exposed, unbalancing the nature of the world._

_Being the avatar is a very accursed thing. Once you are born, government officials raid the parents' home, and take the child away. The child is raised in solitary. No contact whatsoever. The term 'Avatar' is only known to a select few._

_Fifteen years ago in the year 1996, the last avatar had died, and was reincarnated as a baby girl right after._

_Her parents, fully aware that their gifted child would soon be apprehended by the authorities and sealed off from the world, sent her away so that she could live her life instead of being a prisoner of their country._

_They named her Tori, and prayed for her happiness._

_It is now the year 2012, and knowledge about the Avatar and the world of bending is very very secret. Despite the world's obliviousness, there still lies in the town of Wei Jo an old monk who watches over his family shrine. Yet, underground lies a hidden room, where engraved on the walls is the history of the Avatar, and a prophecy._

_This monk meditates, awaiting the day the missing Avatar will return, to save the world._

_One night, while meditating in his secret underground temple, the walls of the Avatar History began to glow. The monk awakened from his meditation, not believing what was before him. "The Avatar... he has awaken!"_

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The world is a very solemn place now. A very, very solemn place. You'd think as time went on in the world, there would only be improvements. Each day finding some new discovery to benefit someone or something or some greater cause. But it's so hard to think such thoughts, when every time you look outside, all you can see is a bleak city. And having such a pessimestic outlook on life doesn't really help either.

"I'm leaving for school, Sylvia!" I shut the door and locked it before me, lugging my school bag over my shoulder with my skateboard under my arm. Syliva's my 'legal guardian' now. Like a foster sister if you want to get technical. To add to the reason of mypessimistic attitude' as my friend calls it, I was adopted.

I came to this the little suburb town of Wei Jo when I was a mere month old, apparenly abandoned by my real parents and taken in by an old couple, who already had a teenage daughter of their own. My adoptive parents however now live in a nursing home, so I just live with my sister, Sylvia.

But aside from that life isn't really any different. My name is Tori. I had just turned 15 last week, and I'm a freshman having recently started high school. I have short brown hair that frizes up in the heat. I have old hand me down clothes from Sylvia becuase we can't afford 'nice things' according to her. And I have a C average in school.

So much going for me right?

A beep started coming from my watch, and I realized it was 7:55. "Man, I'm gonna be late again," I said to myself, forcing myself to skate faster to school. I'm not usually late, but you get detention if you are, and Mr. Baro says that if I get one more detention he'll threaten suspension. "It'll be dangerous, but maybe if I take the route down Mil Street I'll get to school on time." Maybe I should think this through first- "I've thought it through!"

I leaned into a sharp turn at the intersection, riding down the long down-hill street. Luckily there weren't as many cars this morning, but it was still a really steep hill, and I never really liked skateboarding down super steep hills.

"AHHHHH!" I couldn't prevent myself from letting out a scream as the speed picked up with my skating. I could only pray that the green light _stayed_ a green light, because there's no way I can stop at this rate. "SORRY! SORRY! SORRY!"

Meanwhile at Wei Jo High school, a black haired teen was at his locker gettings his books for the morning before the first belll. A few other students would pass by, say hi or what's up.

"Yo."

"Good morning, Rai."

"Hi Rai!"

"Dude!" A fellow clssmate from fencing came up to him, leaning sideways against the lockers. "Did you hear the good news?"

"No but I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway."

The other teen went to put on a sly grin. "Your girlfriend won first place city wide in that poster contest."

Rai blinked cluelessly. "My girlfriend?"

"You know, that emo-chick you always hang around."

"Ah," Rai said with an exasperated look. "You know Tori and I aren't like that."

The guy rolled his eyes. "Heh, sure."

"But that's pretty cool though - her winning first place. She put a lot of work into that painting. She'll be pretty psyched when she hears the news." He turned around to look at the locker across from his, void of any people. It was supposedly my locker. "I wonder where she is, though."

"Your girlfriend's probably late again."

"She's not my grilfriend," Rai repeated with a blant stare.

"I WON'T BE LATE! I WON'T BE LATE! I WON'T BE LATE!" My board's wheels scorched like fire as I sped off towards the school building. _Five seconds left! I can make it! I won't be late! I won't get that detenion and I won't get suspended! I can make it!_

The door was still open, and I sated full speed ahead. _5. 4. 3. 2. 1_! I kicked the back of my board and jumped over the two stairs in front of teh doors, landing inside. I didn't land on the board or my feet, but I made it inside the building before I could be declared late by the office.

I held up my head, a heavenly relieved look on my face. "Phew. I made it."

The footsteps of a faculty memeber came by across the hall. "No skateboards in the hallway, Tori. Detention."

...What.

Rai sat in homeroom reading a book, and all of a sudden he heard my aggravated scream from all the way on the other side of the school building. He glanced up, along with many of the other students in the classroom. "Well, she made it."

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"Okay everyone! Before class ends, write down your topic for your position paper and hand it in alright!" the teacher bellowed.

Position papers. Mm, what work that sounds like. Still, I think I had a decent idea of what I wanted to write about.

As teens in this generation, no one really wtaches the news or cares about current events. But I know what the adults think about. There's the energy crisis going on right now. Has been for years. At the turn of the century, they started drilling for oil in the North and South Poles. And they're overfarming the land in this country (Dai) while over-industrializing the cities in the next country over (Nationale). There're tensions between our two countries, between the city-ish Nationale and the rual Dai.

Maybe writing a position paper own't be so bad. It's basically me just criticizing the world. That I can do. I smiled inwardly as I finished writing down my topic, just in time for the final bell to ring.

With the last class dismissed, everyone rushed to hand in their paper and prepare to leave for the day.

"Yo, Tori." Rai walked up to me as I left the room. He placed a hand on my shoulder to catch my attention. "Hey I haven't seen you all day. What happened to you at lunch?"

I hung my head in rememberance of what got me in such a bad mood today. "Sorry. I was busy sulking on the roof. I was racing to get to school this morning so I wouldn't get detention for being late. But in the end I did because some teacher caught me in the hall with my skateboard. Danggit I wasn't even on it."

Rai snickered.

"Shut up don't laugh at me!"

"Why not? It's so funny!" he grinned, slightly aggrivating me as I turned away with a pout. But it's hard to stay mad at Rai forever.

Rai's my best friend, actually. We grew up together from elementary school. We didn't like each other at first, though. It's sort of the polar-opposite friendship relationship. He liked cleanlieness. I liked messes. I hate school. He likes school. But we got along eventually, and here we are, still opposites. I'm more of the shy loner who's barely keep up grades while this guy's the popular all-around guy who gets staright A's. I've also noticed him attract a lot of attention too, for our first month of high school. He's smart and a master in martial arts, so of course girls tend to fawn over him from afar.

"So, you're gonna go to detention now?"

"I guess."

"Mm, alright. I'll go wait for you in the school library then okay?"

My head jumped. "What you don't have to do that."

"Nah, I want to," he said with that annoying girl-catching smile of his. "I want you to come come over today."

"Your place really?" I asked, actually surprised by the offer. "Wait, what's teh catch?"

"What catch it's so we can celebrate. You did hear didn't you? About how you won that poster contest from September?"

Ooh. "I've heard it sometime this morning," I recalled stupidly. "Well, I can't tell you what to do. You sure it's not too much trouble to wait?"

"'Course not! Besides it's been a while since we've hung out and pigged out on cake."

My mouth gulped. "C-Cake?" Since Sylvia and I don't have that much money, we don't get to eat expensive things like sweets, let alone cake. The closest thing I can ever get to cake are pancakes, and even Sylvia's and my cooking combined can't make those decently right.

Rai had that sly girn again. I tried my best not to make ey contact. "Yup. Cake. It's only right to celebrate with cake."

"You dolt you know I have no money for that-"

"That's why I'm buying," Rai cut off. "Come on, my treat. We'll buy a whole cake just for the occasion - one from that little cafe shop you like so much."

"Why does it feel like you're bribing me..." I glared with a suspicious look.

He laughed at my comment and scratched his head. "I guess you can think of it as a bribe, to hang out. Sounds pathetic when you put it that way, but either way are you up for it, mis sweet-tooth?"

I turned the other way, feeling somehat defeated. "Fine. But only because of the cake," I mutter.

About after half an hour of boredum sitting in Mr. Bora's detention room, I was free to go. As I was leaving the room, I managed to meet up with Rai who was leaving the school library before closing. I made sure to pick up my skateboard from my locker before I forgot. By the time we left school, it was almost sunset. The skies were turning pink, and people were coming home from work. Rai however kept his word and we are currently on our way to the Gourmet Cafe that sells my favorite cakes.

"So you were promoted to a black belt?"

"Yeah. About time right?" Rai grinned, looking rather modest about the topic as we walked down the sidewalk. "Hey, maybe we should spar one day, Tori."

I scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. You know I can't fight."

"Yeah but you sure seem like the masculine type." _Vein_. "Hey you know it's true." Maybe. People have alays made comments like that of me, calling me tomboy or some boy-related thing. But I'm 15 now. Having a really short homogeneous haircut and a flat chest and being called _masculine_ may tend to hurt your new unknown pride as a girl sometimes.

Soon afterwards we made it to that cafe Rai was talking about before. I don't come here often, since cheap old me continuously finds the varying prices, well, pricy. Usually if I ever do come here, it's becasue Rai is treating me to something for an occasion. Maybe a hot chocolate or a cheesecake slice or some super fancy cupcake. But this time, we're picking out real cakes.

"Go, pick any one you want," Rai assured as he pulled out his wallet for the cash.

I bent over and peered into the class cassing, where quaintly decorated cakes were displayed in cold lights. They were very beautiful. Very well decorated. But in the end I choose a small (cheap) round cake, probably ten inches in diameter for enough slices. It was decorated in vanilla and chocolate frosting with whipped cream and chocolate sauce drizzled. The counter lady said it was a marble cake, my favoirte. I pointed at it for the lady and she rang it up for us.

"That'll be $15.99," the counter lady smilled. Rai gladly paid the woman, though I felt sort of guilty for the purchase. Sixteen bucks is a lot. For me, anyway. Rai held the packaged cake by the red and white string it was tied with as we walked the rest of the way ot his house, juts barely making it before the beginning of sunset.

Rai lives with his grandpa, a shrine keeper, because his dad works in the military. Old man Kairo (AKA Grandpa) doesn't like me very much, but I suppose he's tolerent enough of me to be able to visit so often. That greedy little old man even had the nerve to ask for half of the cake slices, to which Rai and I quickly desponded. According to Rai, it's half and half for the two of us. And quite frankly my stomach didn't turn that sttement down.

We were sitting in his kitchen, me on my fifth slice while Rai was still on his second. For the most part however I remained quiet. Distracted actually. "You alright there, Tori?" Rai asked suddenly.

My head jumped "Hm?" I pasued. "Oh, sorry. Just dazing off a little. I had this freaky dream last night and that's why I woke up late this morning," i said with my eyebrows slowly furrowed downward along with my frown.

"Freaky dream huh? What - you took a math test only in your bra or something-? Agh!" I had flung with my fork part of my cake's whipped cream, landing right on the side of his face. He reopened his squinted eyes, blinking at my childishness. "Okay, what kind of freaky if not that kind of freaky?"

"I dunno. Just... weird." I couldn't quite sum it up. "For one, it really made no sense. It was just a... really long line of people in this dark spacey setting, all with creepy glowing eyes."

"You had a dream... of glowing statues," Rai repeated, not really getting the 'freakishness' of the dream.

"No like there were SO many! And all of them were lit up in the head like, like it was some sort of ... calling." What did I just say?

"Sounds more creepy than freaky," Rai remarked with the fork in the side of his mouth.

My shoulders slumped at another memory. "But you wanna know the creepiest part of the dream?"

"Oh do tell," he said with sarcastic unenthusiasm.

Instintively I gripped my form tighter in hand. "There was one statue, at the end of that super long line. And... it looked like me. I mean, not like-me like-me, but," Tori you are not making sense, "Oh just forget it," I finished stubbornly, eating a big piece of my slice of cake. Rai seemed to understand that the tipic was dropped, and went on eating his cake, too.

By 8:45, it was already nightfall. Sucks having early nightfall during the start of school. But the worst part was that there was a really bad rain storm brewing up outside. You could hear the thumping o fthe rain above the ceiling tiles of Rai's old Temple-House thing. That what I used to call it: Temple-House thing, since it looked like something out of a traditional Japanese style home from Tv. Then again, what else could you expect from a shrine keeper's abode?

"Wanna sleep over?" Rai asked as I starred out the window. Half at the rain and half at my own reflection. "Tori?"

"Uh, sure," I said in late response. It's been quite common for us to sleep over at each other's places when it got too dark or when the whether was too troublesome. Only it's been a while since I've stayed over at Rai's. Probably a couple months actually. I remember when we were kids how we used to stay over almost five days out of seven during a week. "Thanks."

"No problem. Let me just go ask my grandpa if we have any sleeping bags. We got rid of that sofa back in August." Sofa. There was a sofa in Rai's room I used to sleep on whenever I'd stay for the night. I almost forgot about that.

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"What!" the old man shrilled.

Rai covered one of his ears with his fingers. "What? You're acting like Tori's never slept over before."

Old Man Kairo kept his sour expression, grumbling something to himself first. "Fine, just don't get too used to it. You're both teenagers now, Rai. Having a girl sleep over in your room every day isn't right, ya hear? Even if she is your best friend."

Rai carelessly rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Gramps - Tori and I are tottally fine. There's nothing between us."

"_There's nothing between us_. Bleugh. That's what they all say," Kairo replied with his broom as he swpt. "Seriously. That really is what they all say."

Rai sighed, walking over to his grandpa's storage closet. "I still don't see what you don't like about her."

"Oh it's not that I don't like her. I just think she's a bit too much for an old man like me," Kairo said, sounding a little more offensive than he intended to be. "Tori's a sweet girl, Rai. It's just... she's so manly! I mean look at her hair! It's almost as short as yours! And skateboards - in my day no girls ever dared stood on a skateboard. Not to mention how she is towards kids. Young girls her age are usually _great_ with kids, but remember your cousin Niko's fifth birthday? She practically had all the little girls pulling at her scalp and clothes!"

"So Tori's a bit of a tomboy. Lots of girls are like that in my generation, Gramps," Rai assured in a leisurely manner. He was used to hearing his grandpa rant on (negatively) about me, whether I was there or not.

His grandfather sighed and resummed his sweeping. "Oh, whatever. I'm not going to let that girl get on my nerves today. In case you haven't noticed, I'm in a very good mood today."

"Really now, could've fooled me," I remarked, sparking a vein in the old man. Rain turned around, seeing me appear at the door with a smug look and crossed arms. "Hey, Old Man."

"That's Kairo to you, missy!"

"Yeah yeah," I said. Our way of conversation isn't really as rude as it sounds. It's just the way the two of us communicate. Old Man Kairo actually isn't all that bad, you know, once you get past the grouchiness and the... baldness and stuff. "So, what's the reason behind your legendary 'good mood' anyway?"

"Hmph, for your information, the _Avatar_ has reawakened."

"The Avatar?" I repeated with a puzzled look.

"Remember that old fairy tale Gramps used to tell us when we were little?"

"Ah the one that always put me to sleep out of boredom?"

"I can hear you," Old Man Kairo said.

"I know," I smirked before giving off a short laugh. "But yeah, I remember now. _The Avatar_, legendary superhero who can manipultate the elements of fire, water, earth and air - beating up bad guys wherever he goes."

"The Avatar's no superhero! He is a highly spiritual being and the embodiment of the earth itself! The bridge between our world and the Spirit World! The Avatar is the one keeping peace and maintaining balance in the world."

"Peace and balance. Those totally describe our world today," I remarked in smiling sarcasm.

Rai laughed at that, finally fidning the sleeping bag and pulling it out of the closet. "What makes you think this all-powerful and wise Avatar returned anyway?"

"Last night, during one of my meditation sessions, I experienced something great and unexpected, powerful even."

"You farted?" I asked blantly.

"No I did not _fart_," he clarified quite loudly. I smiled smug while Rai stiffled his laughter. I could see Old Man Kairo boiling in the face, just barlely holding down his temper. "I witnessed a vision of what this world has been long waiting for. Just you wait, you two. Those stories I used to tell you will be nothing of legend soon enough. They'll be as real as you and me.

"Well, thanks for the sleeping bag," Rai said as he bid his farewell and goodnight. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room before I could come up with another insulting remark to his grandpa. "Sorry about my Grandpa."

"WHDon't feel bad for me. I'm not the one who lives with him."

He chuckled. "I see your opinion of him hasn't changed."

"Yeah well his opinions about he haven't changed either so there's nothing wrong with a little witty offensive banter," I argued in my defence, only for Rai to laugh again as he shook his head.

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That night, protected from the rain storm outside, and sleeping comfortably in a sleeping bag from the autumn coolness was anything bit relaxing. For some reason I just couldn't fall asleep, no matter what sleeping position I tried. I just felt too anxious. At first I tried to convince myself it was because of all the cake I ate for dinner. But by the second hour of no sleep, I admitted it was just me worrying too much over the dream.

I've had weirder dreams than that I assure you, but for some reason the thought just... lingered. Like it wouldn't go away or be forgotten. I pulled the sleeping bag over my mouth, as if to hide from something, from the shadows.

Five minutes later - still not sleepy

Ten minutes later - Oh my gosh I can't sleep.

Half an hour later - "Forget it." I sat up and slid out of the sleeping bag. I trudged over to Rai's bed, shaking his shoulder gently as not to scare him. "Rai? Rai are you awake?"

"Oh yeah. Definitly. I've totally been awake all this time," he replied in sarcasm once more. He sat up, apparently still half alseep. "Tori it's like three in the morning. What's up?"

"I need to go to the bathroom."

..." You're kidding right?"

"Where is it again?"

Rai sighed. "Down the hall and to the left- Wait. Grandpa still hasn't called in a plummer to fix it yet," he remembered, scratching his head. "We have a second bathroom in the second building, but you have to walk along the patio outside. Want me to come with you-?"

"No it's okay I can find it. You go back to sleep," I assured, feeling kind of bad that I've woken him up. Without letting him respond I left, but he went to follow anyway. He'd taken an umbrella with him as we made out way for the back door. I could see his courtyard was still endowned with plants grown by his Grandpa, despite the darkness of the storm.

Rai and I walked along the wooden floors adjecent to the main house, trying to avoid getting wet from the rain behind the umbrella. After two corner turns, we made it to this lone old wooden door, which Rai said was the bathroom. He waited for me outside, which didn't take very long I think. But apparently by the time I got out, Rai really had to go. And without much conversation he'd thrown the umbrella in my hands and ran in to do his business as well.

I stood there dumbstruck for at least three seconds before sighing. "Typical Rai." I swear, outside of school he can be such a dork sometimes.

I stood there against the wall, waiting while gazing out at the rain, illuminated by the moonlight. I noticed in the distance their family shrine, the holy shrine that Old Man Kairo keeps clean. I emember playing with Rai around it, then his Grandpa yelling at us for playing on holy grounds. Please. If strangers can walk up and put random pieces of fancy food on a rock near the shrine than surely that old man wouldn't mind us sitting around it and enjoying life.

"Mm, no wonder he doesn't like me. All I do is complain about him," I muttered to myself in realization. I turned to the old wooden door, thinking about Rai. "He sure is taking his sweet time making me wait in there." Only then did I take a double take out into the rain. I could be hallucinating form lack of sleep, but I swear I could see a weird light in the same generation direction of the shrine.

With my free hand not holding the umbrella I rubbed my eyes, turning left and right first before staring back at the shrine, seeing the same light. "O-kay. High school's officially stressing me out."

After a quick flushing sound, the door reopened and Rai walked back out. "Whew, I thought Grandpa forgot to replace the toilet paper but then I found the-" He noticed the light too, it would seem. "... Did you do that?" Slowly I shook my head no. Once. "... Oh."

"Rai, does your family shrine do that often?"

"Not that I know of," he replied warrily. "Maybe it's just the reflection of a lampost somewhere. Let's go back inside-"

I grabbed his arm, keeping him in place. My face was unusually serious. Firm. And as if I were expecting it, I had a flash-image of those eye-glowing statues again blink in my mind. And then it was gone. "Let's go towards it."

"Tori I am _not_ going out into the cold rain in a frickin' wife-beater-"

"Just come on, you big baby," I ordered, dragging him forward with me under the umbrella. We walked barefoot across the courtyard. The bottom of the flannel pants got wet, leaving cold chills hit my ankles with every step.

Arriving at the shrine, the odd markings remained nostalgic to me. Familiar since it's been so long - or maybe because of something else. I couldn't help but feel that. The light we saw before was coming from the ground, thorugh the cracks of the stones we were standing on.

I knelt down, having my and feel the cool wet cobblestone floor. "That's weird. It's like there's something under there."

"Maybe we should get my grandpa?" Rai asked me as I continued feeling the ground.

I scoffed in reply. "Then we'd really never get to find out what's under here. Come on where's your sense of adventure?"

"Out the window like yours. But apparently your's come back," Rai said, watching me with a nostalgic essence about him. I smiled with anxiousness, wondering what was beyond this gray stones. Curiosity. Surprise. Those were two of the few things that made me smile, and it would seem Rai missed that about me and our childhood.

Amongst the stones I was feeling, a particular black one felt different. Smoother. Colder. Like, like- "Metal?" I accidenatlly wound up pushing on it, only to realize it was a button of some sort. The ground in front of us glowing began to open up. Rai and I stood up and jumped back, afraid we'd accidenatlly fall in. But it stpped before out feet, near where I had dropped the umbrella from shock. Before us lied an errie staircase with the blue light emitting from further down inside.

Rai and I just stood there, frozen. "Something tells me we weren't supposed to find this," I finally said.

"Well that weird blue light's telling me we probably were meant to," Rai said, unusually enthusiastic about this weird event. "Well chief, you opened the creepy passage way. You wanna go in?"

As if to help me answer, a second mental image flashed through my mind. It was those statues again, and I got back that weird urging feeling within me. "Let's go."

* * *

**Here's the first chapter of my new story. I hope it's not too OC-ish. This was an old idea of mine that I was going to use as a sequel to the original Avatar series, and then Legend of Korra came out. (LOVE IT) But I felt like still doing this idea, so I revamped it a bit. So, hope you enjoy. Feedback please!**

P.S: As for my Danny Phantom and Naruto stories - still doing those too. Just REAL sidetracked right now.

**CHARACTERS**

Tori: 15 year old freshman with a bland outlook on life. She is unenthusiastic, temperamental, unsocial, but secretly holds a held-back sense of adventure. She discovers she's the Avatar and must how change her whole lifestyle to fit this sudden role given to her.

_**Rai: Tori's best friend. Grandson of a shrine keeper, he's something of a modest model student. Perfect gradea and perfect rep - only his best friend is no nobody-sourpuss, Tori. Despite how outgoing he is, Rai is actually very conservative and serious. Tori misses how free he used to be as a kid. **_

_**Kairo: Rai's grandfather and the shrine keeper to the secret Avatar Temple. He's long awaited the reawakening of the lost powerful and wise Avatar, only to discover it's his grandson's spawn-of-the-devil best friend. Despite how much she gets on his nerves, he must guide her to becoming a fully realized**_** Avatar**.


	2. Chapter 2

The further we walked down the staircase, the dryer and colder it got. Rai and I were careful to remain close, too. Believe me, I'm the type to trip over the smallest crack in the ground or over a pencil in the hallway at school. Going down an old dark staircase made of stone didn't seem any safer. I was slightly assured though since Rai was using his cell phone as a light-guide.

It didn't surprise me when we reached the last step that I almost fell, if not for Rai catching my arm. I also realized something underneath my feet. As if I were stepping on something. When I moved myself over slightly, I'm still standing in a pile of something, up to my ankles. "What is this?"

Rai shined his light out, and suddenly the room illuminated a small path of light into what we were standing in. The _entire_ room was filled to the brim with junk. Objects everywhere, like a junkyard full of... junk. "What the-" Rai took a closer look, and there's alarm in his voice all of a sudden. "It's a bunch of my old toys!"

"Maybe your gramps was using his oh-so-holy shrine as a storage basement," I said in an attempt at humor, to lighten this _very_ odd situation. It doesn't, really.

Rai looked left and right, shining the light in those alternating directions as well. "That blue light we were looking for is gone," he realized.

I looked around, too. With all the anxiety of just going down here, I completely forgot that the blue light was what we were initially looking for. "Yeah..."

Rai bent down to observe the objects at his feet, and he picked up an old action figure. It was from Christmas a few years back. I remember because I got it for him - the first gift I bought with my own money. _Ninja Guy_. It was this old superhero from the last generation that kids think of really kiddish now a days. But Rai always liked it, watching Ninja Guy's show on Saturday morning cartoon channels, despite how old it was. "What the heck is my Ninja Guy doing down here?"

"And our old jump rope," I noticed, picking that up not too far away before tossing it back into the heap. "Your grandpa took that away from us when we were playing near the shrine that one summer, remember?"

Rai laughed, still holding his action figure. "Yeah, I do."

All of a sudden lights came on all around us, temporarily blinding us since our eyes couldn't adjust that quickly. When I opened my eyes, I looked through my fingers and found lights installed into the old ceilings of the chamber. All I could think was _What?_ How are there electric lights in an old shrine?

"Well I don't recall ever letting you two whipper-snappers down here."

_Ah shucks. I know that voice_. Rai and I turned heads, seeing Old Man Kairo at the base of the stone stair case. He was wearing one of those old man night gown things with a pointy night-cap and fuzzy pink slippers. It took all I had not to comment, seeing as we were probably in enough trouble as it is. Still, I was pretty dumbstruck by the electric lights above us. I took a moment to notice the light-switch on the wall near the stairs.

"Okay Old Man, you caught us," I spoke with my hands raised. "But we saw a light out here so you can't blame us."

Kairo scoffed, or coughs. I can't tell. "Don't go makin' up stuff that don't even make sense. You two aren't supposed to be down here."

"Neither is half my stuff," Rai interjected, spreading out his arms for emphasis. "Grandpa, why are all my toys down here? This room must have like thirteen years worth of my childhood."

"And five years of mine," I don't hesitate to add, a hint of obvious aggravation in my voice. I was noticing a few of my old girlier toys down here, too. Toy shopping carts. Toy food. Stuffed animals. Dolls and magic wands.

"Maybe I'm just a packrat," Kairo responded in an unusually serious yet relaxed manner. It's like he didn't feel like arguing with me. So I arch my eyebrow at him, but he doesn't seem to notice. I mean, he always feels like arguing with me. "You two best head on back up to bed before you catch a cold."

"Can I at least take back some of my stuff?" Rai asked pleadingly, holding up the action figure he never let go of.

Old Man Kairo looked skeptical at first. I thought he was going to say no. "Hmph. Fine."

Rai gave me a quick smile before going over for his two minute scavenge. "Come on, Tori! This is our chance to find a bunch of old toys that are probably worth a fortune now."

I smiled to myself a little. Watching Rai get all excited of his childhood toys just seemed so... happy. "Okay."

I knelt down next to him, digging through the endless heap of toys underneath us. Everything smelled old. Like dust. But it's that smell of dust that makes me feel so nostalgic. How long were all these toys down here for, anyway? How long ago has it been since Rai and I played with any of these? When did we notice they were all missing? Did we even?

Soon enough Rai looks over at me, and he sends an odd stare my way. At first I wonder why and I'm about to ask, but I appear to answer my own question when I realize that for the past who knows how long, I've just been digging, not particularly taking anything like Rai was. He already had an armfull of toys that I could clearly remember him playing with in childhood. "You know you can take whatever you want, Tori."

"But the stuff that I owned are just junk. Besides, I'm not a toy fanatic like you are. I don't really have any use for them once I bring them back up," I admitted sadly. I would probably take up some things and they'd just end up gathering dust again on my shelves or window.

"Well, take whatever you find interesting then, even if it isn't yours. Whatever looks like fun, you know?"

I stared at him then back down at the endless pile. Well, only because he said so. I ran my hands into the depths of the sea of toys, and I come across the most interesting old contraption - all not mine. A small turtle made of clay. The a wooden monkey figurine. Ah and then I find an old air pull-string propellar. And one of those old-fashioned hand drums. Just a bunch of toddler toys I realized, but the authenticity of them being so old-fashioned drew me to them. They looked... historic in a way.

"I'll be upstairs waiting for you," old Kairo sighed, turning around to head back on up.

"No no we're good. We'll go with you," Rai quickly hassled. "You ready, Tori?"

"Mhm." Holding an arm full of childhood 'junk', Rai and I ran past Old Man Kairo and up the stairs in a race to beat each other, like old times. But for a split second, while _I_ was passing by the old man, I couldn't help but notice him stare at my arms with eyes wide open - like I were hugging a giant poisonous rodent. It was only for a split second, so I tried not to pay much mind to his apparent shock.

Yet, just like that, I was gone. We were gone, Rai and I. But the old man just stood down there at the base of the stone staircase, staring up in our direction in disbelief. "It couldn't be...Not her. Not Tori. But..." He turns around, looking at the entire chamber full of toys. "Yet... it was those four toys she choose out of all this rubbish."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Rai and I were able to sleep more soundly after that little adventure. Only now, Grandpa Kairo couldn't. He just kept staring at his ceiling, trying to deny the reality that had fallen upon him. But it was only a matter of time before the truth began to piece together itself.

Old Man Kairo recalled from the afternoon his grandson conversing alone with me, about a strange dream I had the previous night.

"_There was one statue, at the end of that super long line. And... it looked like me. I mean, not like-me like-me, but," I paused, "Oh just forget it_."

"They were the Avatar's past lives, those statues in that girl's dreams..." Kairo admitted to himself in bed. "And she had that dream the same night I had my vision." His eyes closes, and he exhales to calm down. It was only a matter of time, but this was the last person he expected it to be. "Tori is the Avatar do doubt."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next day appeared no different from the last. Rai and I had woken up and gotten ready for school at his place. Morning routine, eating breakfast halfway to school, arriving _on_ time. Classes were the same once more. Everything was normal. Same bells and same conversations amongst students. Rai returned to his socializing self, on terms with just about everyone in school. Meanwhile I also reassumed my role as the loner.

I admit. I miss being able to hang out with Rai _during_ school. I like watching him, acting happy with everyone else. But there are very tiny instances during the day that I'll just miss him, you know? I don't like admitting this to myself, but Rai and I, as close as we are, barely really talk within the walls of the campus. We'll say hi at lockers or as we pass each other down the halls. But we never just hang out like we would if we were alone, _outside_ the student body. It wasn't like elementary school times, where we'd hang out 24/7 in or out of school.

Geez, talk about clingy. Now I feel bad.

During lunch period, I didn't feel like eating lunch alone in the cafeteria again, to remind me how separated I am from Rai. I sounded selfish, or jealous even, but when you have only one friend in an entire school and that one friend is friends with _everyone_, well, you get lonely. But it doesn't bother me. You just get used to it and deal with it.

Instead of eating in the cafeteria, I walked up the stairwell to the school roof. No one ever really goes there since it's against the rules to go beyond the third floor, but it's not like anyone will notice me.

This particular day, the sky was entirely full of clouds, giving the sky a light gray appearance. On my way here I had heard some girls complaining about the humid weather, frizzy hair, and their fear of rain. I couldn't help but laugh to myself in my head. Girls these days hate the rainy, much less 'boring' cloudy days.

I found a kind of beauty in rainless cloudy days. For one, there's no sun. I don't like the heat. But, when its cloudy, there are times that I may be lucky enough to see that portal of light in the sky. An opening in the wall of grey clouds separating our land from the sky. I find so much beauty in that short occurence, sort of like sunsets or sunrises. They're short, but beautiful and hard to catch.

I sat in front of the wire gate surrounding the roof, overlooking the rest of the campus below. I could see the soccer and football fields empty. And the school pool right in front of where I am was empty, too. They probably think it's going to rain, so that must be why none of the students are out playing sports right now.

While I'm sitting, drinking a juice box, I heard the door that leads back into the building open ever so loudly. (It always does that). I turned around quickly, thinking I was caught by a teacher or some other authority figure. Much to my surprise it's actually Rai. I mentally hoped he couldn't see the shock on my face. "Rai," I said, sounding more offensive than I intended.

Rai instantly held his hands up. "Sorry! Sorry. Uh, I didn't see you at lunch so, I thought I should go looking for you."

_Didn't see me at lunch? You don't even talk to me at lunch_. I held my tongue, so I wouldn't say such offensive words to a good friend. But, he really came looking for me?

He looked unsteady. Quite startled, himself. "Um, I'll leave now. You probably came up here to be alone so-"

"No," I quickly cut off, regretting feeling a little angry at him before. Even a little. I'm holding my arm out by the time he turns towards the door. Rai turned his head around questioningly at me, and I pulled back my hand. "Uh, you can stay, if you want. Sorry for acting so snappy."

Rai walked over to sit in a spot next to me, and I courteously handed him a second juice box I had from my bag. He hurried to open the wrapper around the tiny straw. I watched him curiously, still somewhat astounded he had come looking for me.

By the time Rai tried to bite the wrapper off, he caught me staring. I don't even have the heart to turn away and pretend I wasn't. "Tori are you okay?" he finally asked, removing the straw from the wrapper. "You sick?" he added, pushing his palm to my forehead.

"No," I replied half-heartedly as he removed his hand slowly. A cold wind blows our way, pushing strands of my short hair away from my face. It feels nice, being here. "Just thinking. Nothing different. I'm always like this in school, remember," I assured with a sip of my juice. "Just... thinking."

"Anti-social, much?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood a little. It didn't work too well. "...What about?" he asked after a long silence.

I shrug. Honestly I didn't really know. "Being with all those toys yesterday had me thinking about being a kid, a little. You know, how we're not really kids anymore?" I leaned back on my arm. "We're teenagers now. It's weird but I never really noticed how much we've grown."

I felt weird, thinking of mentioning this uncomfortability in our friendship. I didn't want to say it because I didn't want to admit that I feel there's a problem in our friendship. A drifting. We already hang out all the time after school. Isn't that enough? I don't want to ruin that by saying I'm unhappy.

I stood up and hugged my arms, not feeling like sitting next to Rai right now. He knows me too well - well enough to eventually detect that I do have a 'problem'.

I walked over to the edge of the roof where there the wire fence ends. And I sit on the edge of the roof with my legs dangling off the school. Looking down I can see the pool directly under me, and my tiny dot of a reflection.

Rai's footsteps are heard walking slowly towards me. He hesitated to sit next to me on the edge, so he just knelt down behind me. "Come on. What's up? I know you're hiding something," he said, unusually serious. Concerned, really. I felt his hand touch my shoulder, but he removes it before he can say something. He cuts himself off, too. "Or, you don't want to talk about it?"

I didn't respond, keeping my stare down at the blue chlorined pool.

I heard Rai sigh. His breath on the back of my neck. It freezes me. "Look Tori. I know we don't talk much during school," Has he read my mind? "but... you know you can talk to me about anything... right?" He teasingly punches my back. "Best buds, remember? I'm obligated to be the first person you come to with these things."

I laugh a little at that statement that I turn my head with a cheered smile. "Thanks."

Rai then also teasingly gasps, pointing at my face. "Oh my gosh you smiled!"

"Shut up," I laugh.

"But you like NEVER smile! Glare at me or something come on!"

"_Smiiilleee_!" I say, gritting my teeth as I give him my widest and cheekiest smile, making Rai scream in fake agony. Together we laugh so hard its hard to breath. Rai falls backwards while I lean over my knees to hug my aching stomach.

All of a sudden, I felt myself having leaned too far forward. I felt my body begin to slide off the edge of the tall school roof. It's a very, very long way down. Over four stories. Everything was happening in slow motion. Our laughter slowly faded down into muted silence. Our cheeky grins and open smiles shaped into expressions of shock, and fear. I began to drift away from the school building, holding my arm out to try and grasp anything to keep me on the roof. The edge. Rai's hand. Anything.

The last normal thing I see before loosing my mind to anxiety is Rai leaping forward, both hands outstretched towards me. His face looked different. His eyes fixed on mine and his eyebrows narrowed down in frurstration. And then he yelled out, "TORI!"

He ended up leaping off the roof trying to grab me. Despite his not to muscular arms, he held me in one of the strongest hugs as we fell head first to our doom. I could count the seconds as we fell. And I held him just as tightly, anticipating death. I remembered the pool that I think is below us. But I irrationally wonder of the chances of us landing in the water. We still wouldn't survive though, despite the water. But I pray anyway.

_Please. Please don't let this be the end. I don't want Rai and I to die. We can't. I... I still have to say..._

As if to will our survival myself, I gripped my hands on the back of his shirt and instinctively concentrated on the water below us, praying and hoping that it will save us. Rai's eyes are probably shut, but mine were wide open enough to see the miraculous miracle that happened to us.

I swore on my life that I saw what I probably wasn't supposed to see. First, it turns out that I was right that the pool was directly under our fall from the school roof. But before we could enter the water, I saw the actual water come out of the pool. It was like, the water opened up right where we would land and swallowed us into it ever so gently. I didn't even feel the headfirst dive, if you consider that a dive anymore.

Rai and I swam up, coughing and struggling to stay afloat from shock. We swam to the edge of the pool and climbed out with heavy breaths of much needed oxygen. "What the heck just happened?" Rai gasped, shaking his shaggy head of water.

I did the same, ruffling my short hair in an attempt to dry it. "I don't know. Either we're dead and we're in some alternate plane of existence, or we actually survived by falling into the pool."

"Ah," Rai nodded, still breathing heavily. But seriously, what _did_ just happen? "Think anyone caught us along the school windows while we were falling?"

What did he just ask? The ridiculousness of that question causes me to punch him and laugh as we both fall onto the ground on our backs.

But before I close my eyes, I could be wrong but I notice a face in one of the school windows, looking out incidentally. That person could've seen us by chance fall off the roof and into the pool, but I doubt he or she could've seen what I had. It all happened to fast. So I knock the worry out of my mind and close my eyes.

But within myself realm of darkness, I can't help but wonder about that magical movement of water. It's a random thought. A really _really_ random thought but, for some reason I feel like... I caused the water to move like that.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After today's events at school, I told Rai that I would be going home today alone. I didn't quite feel as spirited as yesterday to hang out, but I assured him that I would feel better by late afternoon. He even promised me to call him to assure that I wasn't upset or anything.

And so I would.

After my shower at 9:00, my sister Sylvia called me down for dinner. It was just the two of us again, and I was making sure to finish up dinner fast. Sylvia took notice fairly quickly of my unusual behavior. "What's up with you? Hungrier than usual," she said skeptically.

"Not hungrier. I need to call Rai after this," I explained, choking down my food as fast as possible.

"Oh," Sylvia said. "What about? School work or something?" Her head then jumped. "Or are you guys finally going to have your talk?"

"What are you prattling on about?" I asked with my mouth full, and getting fuller.

"You know? That stage in your friendship when you finally learn that you like each other and you transition from friends to dating."

I responded by stealing some of her food from her plate with my chopsticks. "You are so far from the truth," I reply. She really was. I decided during my time of leisure at home that I would talk to Rai about the pool incident. About the water, and how we were _supposed_ to die but didn't. How it magically swallowed us up like the water was alive with a mind of it's own. _Not_ about inevident feelings of affection.

"So what is it far from the truth? Come on, I wanna play the nosy-big sister role for once and you've never had a life that I could get curious about."

Geez. "Wow."

"Tell me!"

_Well, she won't believe me anyway_. "Rai and I fell off a roof and into a pool of magic water that swivered and swirled because of me and some weird power that saved us from dying head first."

Sylvia stared at me for a long while before she gave me her final reaction. "... Forget I asked." Like I said.

Meanwhile at Rai and Kairo's residence, the old man was sitting eating dinner by himself. An empty plate situated across the small wooden table. Ten minutes into dinner time Rai finally came down. "Ah shucks, he came. And here I thought I could have all this food to myself."

"Very funny Grandpa," Rai said, seating himself and taking some food into his plate.

"What took you so long ? I called you down what, two centuries ago."

"I was talking to Tori on the phone."

"Of course," the old man mutters with roll of his eyes. "It's always that girl causing me grief, even when she _isn't_ in my house. She's occupying your time too much, boy."

"Only tonight. We didn't get to hang out this afternoon," Rai said.

"Don't you get enough of her during school?" he said, teasingly grouchy.

Rai was about to respond but realized that we really don't hang out in school actually. "Anyway, she told me the craziest thing on the phone."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. See during school we fell into a pool but, she's going on saying how she thinks she magically manipulated water or something."

Rai's grandpa dropped his food from his chopsticks and into his plate. "Say what?"

"I know right? It's hilarious," Rai laughed, stuffing his mouth. Kairo's face hardened with a low exhale, and he slowly put down his chopsticks from his plate and onto the table. Rai noticed this. "Grandpa?"

"Rai, we need to talk," Old Man Kairo started out. "Remember those stories about the Avatar I used to tell you and Tori about when you were kids?"

"The superhero?"

"The Avatar is not a superhero," Kairo snapped, earning a mischievous and victorious grin of amusement from his grandson. "The Avatar is the bridge between o-"

"Our world and the spiritual world. Your point?"

"The Avatar also has control over the four elements: Earth, Fire, Water, and-"

"-Air. Know that too, Gramps. Get to the point already," Rai said with a mouth full of rice and meat, slowly losing interest as he continued to eat

"The Avatar, is also reborn in a cycle," Kairo mentions. This is the part of the story he's never told me or Rai as children. "Each Avatar born is a reincarnation from the last. From one life to another. This is how it has been for centuries, even up to today."

Rai slowly raises his eyes, then slurps his noodles into his mouth. This will be the first time he speaks without a full mouth. "You mean, the Avatar's real?"

"Haven't I been telling you that, you knumb skull?"

"Okay well yeah but then how come no one knows about it except you?"

"They're not supposed to," Kario shrugs. "Government today, politicians, corruption, it's all a part of the reason why our world is the way it is today. Our world is polluted. Our world is divided. Our two countries are on the brink of war. Our way of life, it is dying." The old man drinks a sip of tea. "It was the Avatar's job to correct problems like these, and restore balance."

"So... why hasn't he?" Rai asked skeptically.

"We don't have the Avatar. Simple as that," Kairo replied. "The government always hides benders, people who can control elements."

"Didn't you say only the Avatar can control the elements?"

"Benders control one individual element; the Avatar controls all four. That how its always been, until now. Now, anyone associated with the art of bending is immediately hidden away. The Avatar especially, since he is the most powerful."

"That's so cool-! OW!"

"No it is not," Kairo snapped, having jabbed his grandson in the shoulder with his chopsticks. "The Avatar, in our generation, has gone _missing_."

Rai's once entertained face went away, and he slowly but surely came to realize the seriousness in the conversation. Or at least, as much of it as he could believe anyway. Part of him felt like this was all just a part of some huge bedtime story again, but, still. "What do you mean missing?"

"Missing. That's it. The avatar was never detained by the government, and they are still searching."

"And you promise me this is no joke," Rai says one more time, only to be given the same serious stare his grandfather's been giving him since the dinner started. "But... didn't you say a while ago that the Avatar was just 'awakened' or whatever?"

"The Avatar, is Tori."

"... Okay now I know you're not serious."

"I am."

"No you're not."

"Oh yeah I am," he assured, trying his best to remain serious.

"But... _Tori_? Our _Tori_, is the bridge between our world and the spirit world a-and, this super awesome warrior of the elements?"

"Yup." Rai sat back in his chair, slowly taking this all in. "When you two fell into the pool, she manipulated the water using waterbending. Most likely she doesn't realize she did it, but I can tell you now that I've suspected it for a while. This only confirms my suspicions."

Rai runs a hand through his hair. "All this time... and those stories about the Avatar... I can't believe it."

"Neither could I," his grandpa replies bluntly. "You have no idea how weird it was when I discovered that girl of all people could be the Avatar." Kairo picked up his chopsticks. "It's Saturday, tomorrow. You have no school. Take Tori over here for the day will you?"

"You mean you're gonna tell her?" Rai restated with bewilderment. "And you think she's gonna believe you?"

"I think she's going to smack me," Kairo said honestly. "But, it's my duty to the Avatar, no matter how much I wish it wasn't her. She gets on my nerves too much, that girl."


End file.
